Harvest Tart

I was lucky to be at my friend Kate’s house and extensive fruit and vegetable gardens in the Lot a few weeks back, when the seasons were overlapping. The last of the red peaches were still clinging to the trees, while the branches of the nearby pear and fig trees were filled with wonderful fruit ripe for the picking – and baking. And I couldn’t resist spending my time wandering around the yard and gardens, picking what I could, doing some impromptu tasting, and enjoying some down-time in nature.

While I like fruit just as it is, there’s also something satisfying about rustling up a whole bunch of fruit that’s just free for the grabbing, and then making a dessert that uses plenty of them without a lot of fuss. After some peeling and the inevitable goofy chit-chat cooks like to do when doing rote work such as peeling apples, we headed to the kitchen counter where Kate rolled out dough she had quickly put together, and lined a deep baking dish (from her fabulous collection of local pottery, which – of course, I covet with my heart and soul…or what’s left of them) with it.

As she rolled and rolled, Kate told me she calls this Harvest Tart. This particular version uses apples, figs, grapes from the market, with a few walnuts crisped over the top. For those of you who are scared of making dough, get over it. There’s nothing to worry about, especially with this tart, where the dough is used to line a dish then filled to the brim, so any imperfections will get lost in the jumble of cooked fruit. And if guests are coming to criticize or look for any faults, maybe it’s time to revise that guest list (!)

Speaking of fruit, you can certainly take some carte blanche with this one, and use apples and plums, or toss some berries in there. I would caution against using very juice summer fruits like peaches and nectarines, unless you toss them in a spoonful of flour to absorb some of the juices. Around the holidays, I would think that cranberries and pears mixed together, with some apples (and mincemeat) would be terrific as well.

Like Dorie’sFrench Apple Tart, this tart also works best with a jumble of apples; some sweet ones, and some on a tart side. I just picked what looked good to me and the variety isn’t as important as using good baking apples. So maybe hit your local farm stand or greenmarket in search of some interesting varieties.

In France, apple sellers usually have a bin of pommes à cuire (apples to cook), which have a few dents and dings, but are perfectly fine.

And because I’m so frugal, I confess that I buy those for eating as well. In fact, I have a friend that works for a French farm organization and he says he only buys fruit that is getting on, or just about to rot, because it’s the fruit that has the most flavor.

But still, I can’t really get it out of my craw that tarts are something that people are often afraid to make, put off by those too-perfect ones they see in bakeries and in food magazines. One French secret is that some folks buy pre-made, pre-rolled dough in supermarkets, ready to unwrap and fill. So if you want a perfect appearance, you can buy it.

It’s similar to those pie crust sticks in America, but a little less-messier. (Plus a number of Parisian kitchens aren’t quite large enough to roll anything out on.) Most brands don’t list butter as a primary ingredients – quelle horreur!…in fact, it’s often quite far down the list – but they are convenient, I suppose. Me? I’ll stick with flour and butter.

The good news is that this buttery dough comes together really quickly and because it’s meant to be rustic, any flaws or goofs are easily overlooked when it’s brought to the table. And a big dollop of cream flavored with Armagnac on each portion doesn’t hurt either. And neither does a shot for the hard-working bakers, too, I might add.

As we peeled and rolled, folks were setting the table for brunch. And because a few folks were getting a jump-start on the meal, we could hear the sound of rosé being poured over crackling ice. It was so tempting that we moved outside to finish assembling the tart so we could savor the last days of summer weather with everyone else.

Then, into the oven it went. We had a lovely meal, which was a mélange of good things from America (grits), French eggs (can’t get more French than the hen house near the kitchen), and bacon from the Agen market, properly crisped by a British cook. Some people deride multiculturalism, but I don’t really give a rats derrière who is doing the cooking, or where the cuisine is from – if it’s good food and drink, can’t we all be happy?

Our timing was a little off (I blame the rosé…) and by the time we had finished our enormous repast, we were a little too-full for dessert. So we had it after dinner later that evening, accompanied by small glasses of Armagnac while the sun went down. And we raised our glasses and toasted the fruits of our harvest, in anticipation of polishing off dessert.

1. To make the dough, in a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut the butter into cubes and mix together with your hands or using a pastry blender until it’s in small pieces no larger than the size of corn kernels.

2. Add one egg and the water, and mix until the dough holds together. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it’s about 18-inches (45 cm) round.

Brush off any excess flour and fit into a 9- or 10-inch high-sided round baking dish or cake pan; the edges will overhang the sides quite a bit. (If using a springform pan, double wrap the outsides with foil to avoid leaks.)

3. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl with a fork, then brush the insides of the dough with the egg.

4. Prepare the filling by slicing the apples into eighths. Mix them together with the figs, grapes, 1/3 cup (65 g) sugar, and Armagnac, then transfer the filling into the tart dough. Strew the walnuts over the top of the fruit.

5. In a small bowl, mix together the crème fraîche with the egg and pour it over the fruit and nuts. Lift the edges of the dough and cover the fruit, then sprinkle a good amount additional sugar over the top of the dough.

(When making tarts like this, I brush the dough with melted butter to help it stick.)

6. Put the tart on a baking sheet and bake in a 425Fº (218ºC) oven for 55 minutes to 1 hour, until the top of the dough is browned and the fruit is cooked through, which you can verify by poking the center with a paring knife; when done, it should meet no resistance.

(Note: During baking, the walnuts may darken, as shown. This is a rustic touch and typical. If you are concerned, you can drape the tart with foil if they become too dark for your taste.)

7. Remove the tart from the oven and let cool down a bit before serving.

Serving: It might be hard to get a clean slice from this juicy tart, so feel free to serve slabs into bowls. Kate serves the tart with sweetened crème fraîche fortified with a shot of Armagnac or brandy. Vanilla Ice Cream or regular whipped cream are other possible accompaniments.

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91 comments

Katie

October 3, 2012 6:39pm

My grandmother from alsace lorraine (french side) used to make something like this — it was amazing…

Karen Rush

October 3, 2012 7:06pm

Gorgeous post. As a lucky person who spent a week in Kate’s company at Camont (paradise) last autumn, you have captured the ambience beautifully. The photos were fabulous. I could smell the food cooking, hear the happy chatter, taste the wine, feel the air on my face as you strolled around Kate’s leafy bower. I especially loved the photos of Kate’s hands making the pastry. Kate Hill is an extraordinary person who shares her home and love of the food and wines of Gascony with those of us lucky enough to make the pilgrimage to her home nestled beside a canal in the countryside not far from Agen.

This looks so finger-licking good, I wished I could just reached out and help myself to a slice!

In my experience, the secret to a great crust is a really hot, preheated oven (I like to add a pizza stone).

Sandy

October 3, 2012 7:48pm

This looks lovely. I have been making rustic tarts (free form) on a baking sheet and they are a hit evertime, however whenever I try to make a deeper tart (like the one mentioned), the base crust always falls apart. Is that the nature of deeper dished pies/tarts?

Yes, because the tarts are deeper, it’s not possible to keep them as “neat” as short tarts. But when I was learning to make pie dough from my friend’s Norwegian grandmother, she said to me, “You don’t want the dough to hold together. It’s the ones that fall apart that taste the best.” And for tarts like this, I think it’s okay to trade-off some of the stiffness for a more tender and crumbly texture and flavor.

Claire

October 3, 2012 7:53pm

Beautiful! Any fruit, or combination thereof, baked in a buttery crust served warm from the oven is the true measure of heaven in my book. Call them tarts, cobblers, pies, whatever. What they actually are is comfort food from angels.

Fabulous photos, as usual. You always take the reader to wherever you are via your wonderful pictures. Thank you.

David, You inspire me everyday. Sometimes after 18 hours shifts of cooking, frying, simmering and sauteing the last thing I feel like is baking. But you always come to the rescue about 1 or 2 am in the morning, because when I see post like this, it makes me thing…well, something like this sure will make make my customers happy; their belly and their souls of course. So I get a second wing put my chef’s coat and get down to business.
One of this days if you happen to be around New Mexico, come by and I will feed you some goodies that will too make your belly and soul happy.

Vanessa ;0)

Kate

October 3, 2012 9:09pm

I plan on making this tart this weekend – thank you for sharing this lovely post. I know that you don’t own the baking dish Kate used in the photos (well, I assume you don’t), but do you know of a baking supplier, etc., that would have a comparable piece for sale? I have been looking for a dish like that for a while!

Now I have quince, fig and hazel nuts in the garden, think I will try this with my own harvest :-) Thanks Diane

Katie

October 3, 2012 10:17pm

Do you know how deep her pie plate was? I found one in the US that is 2.5″ deep and wondering how that would work.

JoAnn

October 3, 2012 10:34pm

A weekend with David and Kate…sounds pretty fine! I hosted a brunch for my husband’s grandmother’s 93rd birthday (terrific little woman, perfect health, lives alone and doesn’t take a single bit of medication!). The menu included a couple of tomato tarts. Toyed with the idea of using a premade crust and ended up making my own. I had so much to do and wanted to just get through it. But I knew homemade would be better, and it was. The tomatoes in the tart were in a bushel at the farmstand marked “ugly tomatoes”. Their days were numbered, but since I was using them the very next day I jumped on it. They were absolutely succulent. Orange and red tomatoes bursting with tomato-y goodness.

Ina Garten said something once that always stuck in my craw…she said she doesn’t try out new recipes on friends. Huh? I’d never try anything new if it wasn’t for my friends and family…my very happy guinea pigs. I’ve never had anyone turn down an invite to eat at my house ;-)

That was the temperature, and length of time, this particular tart baked. It was a lot of fruit (and a rather hefty tart) and as mentioned, if you think the top is getting too browned, you can drape foil over it. Of course, all ovens are different so it may bake more quickly in one oven than another. Like most baked goods, I advise checking things before the actual baking times, because there are so many variables that can come in to play when baking that affect the baking time.

Sophie

October 3, 2012 11:09pm

Daveed, Do you know approximately how deep the pie plate should be? thanks!!

People give me funny looks when I pull out a ruler when they are baking for me, and trying to get a recipe. So I didn’t measure the height of her baking dish (I did manage to get the diameter of it out of her…!) – but I’m guessing it was at least 3-inches (7-8cm) high.

Roxy

October 3, 2012 11:14pm

After reading this I want to:
a) eat a pie at roughly 10pm
b) move to France, like now.

Thanks, Dave, for the tip on where to find a new dish! I am looking at the selection on Etsy now.

Also, a word of encouragement for newcomers to pie crust: I taught myself last summer and its really not that hard! Especially for tarts like this one, where form is not that essential, as David mentioned.

There are certainly good all-butter pre-made crusts, and especially puff pastry, out there. I just think it’s interesting how many pre-rolled tart doughs you come across in the refrigerator section in French supermarkets. Some are pâte brisée, pâte sucrée, and pâte à pizza. (They even have organic ones!) The good thing about them is that they allow people to make a tart, or pizza, pretty quickly at home without the fuss.

Beautiful looking tart! I should have a rule for myself: don’t visit blogs with beautiful food if I am hungry (sort of like don’t go grocery shopping if you’re hungry). My stomach is growling! I love to bake tarts myself, but this week was a bundt baking week. Next week, I am back to baking tarts or tartlets.

Thankfully my sister just bought 6 antique tape measures at the last vide grenier! Yes David your eye is pretty good. The outside of that Not Poterie ‘gratin plat’ is 7.5 cm but the inside is barely 6 cm deep. What makes it especially good for the hot oven is how thick it it so that the heat is gentle and slow on the bottoms and side. It is 28 cm in diameter and weighs a hefty 6 lbs. or 2.5 kg –empty. The apples come from old variety trees I’ve been planting at Camont for 20 years, squirrels planted the walnut, and the kitchen fig tree is loving fertilized by our chickens. Ps I bake all my tarts at 200-220’C so that free form crust holds it shape.

Stephanie

October 4, 2012 9:03am

Beautiful recipe, beautiful pictures, and great writing. I will attempt this tart this weekend!

Regards the pie dish – if searching online, I’d suggest putting “flameware” in the descriptor, as that mix of clay is more resistant to extreme temperature variations. It would be too sad to bake a tart as beautiful as that above and have the dish break in the oven (along with having to clean up the mess).

I am cursing my efficiency (not a usual thing for me). All the ingredients for an orange cake are laid out before me but I made the mistake of reading this post and now I want the Harvest Pie. Both are possible…

laline

October 4, 2012 5:27pm

Hi David,
Thanks for a lovely post and perfect for this upcoming season of pie baking. I heard that Trader Joe’s sells good pre-made frozen pie crust this fall season. What is an acceptable substitute for creme fraiche that I can find in the USA?

If you have a Trader Joe’s, they generally carry crème fraîche, from what I remember. So you can get it there. Sour cream (whole) may work, although I haven’t tried it since they don’t carry that in France.

aah, this is a lovely post, just right with my very late (3rd) afternoon espresso… I love the photos too and I can feel the deft hands going on with the job at hand – we lazy bums don’t make our own dough any more, I go to Auchan and buy their organic puff pastry or the other one. I was totally shocked to see that most doughs don’t even feature any butter and when they do, it’s lettred in such large writing that you wonder if a pastry shouldn’t per definition HAVE butter in it… but this is gâteau heaven! When I lived in England, I had friends who wouldn’t even try my fruit tarts because they had never seen anything like it. Too bad for them.
I also loved the statement that a good deep tart has to come apart because mine unerringly do… and I thought I did something wrong! (Not that I cared or any who ate it) Thanks for that confidence booster.
Now, in the kitchen for a rummage through the cookie jars… :)

I had to chuckle, because you’re right, I am afraid of dough. Mainly, I think, because I have a tiny parisian-style kitchen. I think it’s time I face my fears! Man, the Lot…I love it down there. Have you read “From Here You Can’t See Paris”? It’s about 4 seasons of a restaurant in a small village there.

I actually make a very good crust myself…and I can’t wait to make this tart for my family for the season, it’s so perfect, your pics are spectacular!..I too have eggs right out my kitchen door and a newly planted orchard will take a little more time for harvest, fig trees included. (I live in central/northern CA..so I can get most anything at local farmers market) …so now I just need the deep ceramic dish…what a beauty!

I just love reading your posts and imagining who you are in person…your personality comes through so big, I think we could be friends.
Your photos are top of the line…really super fantastic!
I’m so thrilled I found you…thx for all the inspiration, june

Now I know what I’m making this weekend! Looks wonderful! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

helen

October 4, 2012 6:42pm

We had our first frost last night so time to clear the garden, berry bushes and fruit trees and make this tart. Sound wonderful and gives me a goal for the day. I’m going to try your caramel sauce as a topping. How about using some spices for additional flavor? Thanks for a lovely post.

Gina Marion

October 4, 2012 7:03pm

You are so inspiring and tremendously talented! I LOVE your blog. Everything looks delicious! Can’t wait to try this and many of your other recipes.

Sarahb1313

October 4, 2012 7:57pm

so…. That looks amazing! I am digging the filling and can’t wait to try it! Although I think figs have finally ended here, sadly.

But wait… I can put a dollop of the fabulous fig ice cream in my freezer I made using Perfect Scoop on top….

What is your favorite method to making crust- the schmooshing between the fingers or the pastry cutter? I feel like I have no consistency with my outcomes, although tart crusts with egg seem a bit better…

I like deep tarts so much better than the flat, shallow style, if one has good fruit to use.

Creme fraiche substitute: Pour 2 cups of heavy cream into a clean jar. Whisk in about 2 T. of cultured sour cream or buttermilk. Screw on the lid and set it in a warm place, like the top of the fridge. When it has thickened 12-24 hours later, refrigerate. It will thicken much more in the fridge. Often with these directions one is told not to use ultra-pasteurized cream for this, but I have never had any trouble with it, and if you live in a Tiny Town like me, that is likely all you will be able to lay hold of.

J.T.

October 4, 2012 10:10pm

Thanks for always putting the cups and grams in your recipes. You know how us Americans can get baffled by scales. We can wander for hours around town to find the perfect fruit for a tart, but somehow turn on a scale is too much work. :) Please don’t stop blogging. Seeing your reflections is a nice treat to my week. Cheers.

Ryan Bissoon

October 4, 2012 10:21pm

It’s Thanksgiving in Canada this weekend. Can’t wait to see the look on my family’s face when I show up with this tart. I’m a huge fan of rustic tarts and this one looks beautiful…and delicious.

stella

October 5, 2012 12:07am

I will try the tart this weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving) it looks absolutely divine and if I can follow the recipe correctly will taste just as divine.
BTW,American Grits????

I don’t know why, but if I make the dough a day ahead and leave it in the refrigerator, the whole pie-dough process doesn’t stress me out like if I do the whole tart in one fell swoop. I’m not very good with dough either, but this rustic dish covers a lot of pie-dough sins. I usually make my tart free-form on a pizza stone, using nectarines and blackberries, dabbed with melted peach preserves. Brushing the top of the folded over dough with egg and then sprinkling with really coarse sugar (demerara or something like that) also helps transform my mediocre dough. Like someone said earlier, nobody’s ever turned it down.

Now I’m intrigued with this deep-dish fall tart. I think I have a rustic dish to put it in, but it’s only 20 cm by 5.5 cm, so will experiment with cutting the recipe down, or make an individual little one to go along with.

Bebe

October 5, 2012 12:28am

Delectable!

I have a baking dish similar to that, but blue – a handmade piece I bought in Asheville, NC, in the ’80s. I have only used it as a casserole. It should be perfect…

Will make this with your freeform crust, which is liberating. I too brush the inside of the crust with a little beaten egg when it is going to be baked filled (rather than blind). I am able to do even pumpkin pie without a soggy crust.

The best premade crust that I’ve ever found (and I admit I stopped looking after I found this one) is Marie Callender’s frozen crust. They come in pairs, already in foil pans and are deep dish 9″ crusts. Doubt that they have any butter in them, but they are excellent. We are cranky about crust in our family.

Thanks, David, for this great late summer tart. The mixture of fruits is inspiring.

Bebe

October 5, 2012 12:31am

One further note on brushing the inside of the crust with a little egg: Be sure to let it dry before filling the crust. It creates a seal all over the inner surface that keeps the crust from becoming soggy. It works!

Donna Adams

October 5, 2012 1:23am

Delicious looking pie, I have figs, apples, walnuts so just needing grapes I will make this pie for the week-end.

Thanks David!

Gavrielle

October 5, 2012 1:27am

For anyone frightened of making pastry dough: if you have a food processor it’s unbelievably easy and takes less than five minutes. I haven’t done the rubbing in butter by hand thing for more than twenty years. It might not be as rustic, but it’s a hell of a lot easier on your hands! (And the pastry it turns out is excellent.)

This post speaks to my heart. A rustic harvest tart is an easy way to put together a luscious dessert, I usually make the dough in a food processor but it can quickly be made by hand. My tips are to use as little ice water as possible yet the dough must be moist and hold together. Using half water and half vodka allows for some evaporation. Don’t let a ball form in your food processor. You should see bits of butter. If you want to make sure the dough will roll out easily, smear the ball of dough out with the heel of your hand (frissage). Form the dough into a disk and chill it for an hour. You may opt to take the shortcuts in Kate’s recipe, but if you want consistency in your outcomes, as Sarab bemaned, try these tips. Here’s my recipe for a plum tart:http://sweetpaprika.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/rustic-plum-tart/

What a lovely tart! I have figs and apples at hand — no grapes though. I like the fact that it has fruit and custard and crust. Yum.

Cynthia Booker

October 5, 2012 4:48am

Grits in France! Who’d have thought? Wonderful.
From a very southern lady who loves her travels to France.

Mary J

October 5, 2012 6:28am

David, you have done it again! Every time I read one of your posts I am immediately transported away from my every day life and into yours. I want a harvest tart – right now! A serving of yours would suffice!

Gavrielle: I use my food processor but I used to use my stand mixer. The key to using a food processor is: keep it on the counter (if you can).

When I stored mine in a cabinet below, it was always a pain to take it out (because the cord would wrap around something, and pull it with it. And there would be all this stuff to move, and get out of the way, etc.) – so I found that when I kept it where it was easy to access, I used it a lot more.

Bebe: There are good-quality pre-made doughs I would imagine (you can get good frozen puff pastry, which is something that a rolling machine actually does better than a human, since it needs to be rolled quickly, so the butter doesn’t melt). The French really use them a lot, I suppose, because there are quite a number of them in the supermarket refrigerator.

Cyndy: Thanks for the link! I think the Not Frères pottery company does ship, but only within France. They don’t guarantee against breakage, though. I found that this company does ship Not Frères cassoles in the US, although I don’t know anything about the online company.

Tip: If people coming to France want one, have it shipped to your hotel before your arrival! : )

Nita

October 5, 2012 8:30am

David, your posts are always so casual but informative they make my heart sing! Now I really, really want to do a cooking course with Kate. The photos are gorgeous & I can almost taste that tart & feel the soft crunch of the pastry.I ‘m at our beach house in Byron Bay for a week but I intend to make it when I get back to Sydney, specially as the apples are still so good. Thank you for always sharing!

My diet flew out the window. I am now on a quest to score me some figs, dig out the rolling pin and gather my best buds. I think we’ll have us a few coffee’s over those vinos. Weather change with chill in the air, a lovely pastry and bff’s…the winning trifecta. :)

Oh my goodness! that has to be the best looking thing I’ve seen for a while!

WOW!

So yummy!

TFS!

Paloma.

Elisabeth Lipsman

October 5, 2012 6:41pm

Hi David–
I loved you book, The Sweet Life in Paris, and have enjoyed your emails and wonderful recipes. I read through the fruit tart blog above and noticed more than one misused word, like “ready” when I think you meant “really” and “but a little less-messier” When “less messy” sounds better. I only mention this because I thoroughly enjoy reading these missives and your books, and these kinds of oversights are a little disappointing. I know you are a terrific writer and would want to know about what seem like proofreading errors. Or maybe you’ve been in France too long! Jamais!
Cheers!

Lee Poteet

October 6, 2012 5:29pm

David, slightly off subject but not quite. I used to have a recipe for a Provencal spinach tart which included orange marmalade and eggs. I don’t know how I lost it but would love to have it again. So I am asking in the hopes that either you or another of your wonderful readers will have it or know where I can find it.

These sort of posts always remind me of when my wife was yet alive and we and the children were all going wild in the kitchen. At that point we lived slightly West of Petaluma in the middle of decaying chicken coops. A wonderful time with a great kitchen.

This looks divine. I’ll be one of those buying the French pre-made dough – you hit the nail on the head with have no space on which to roll dough out. Alas…

Carrie

October 7, 2012 6:19am

Oh my this tart looks great.. I’m stuck in Washington state for another week without an oven or stove. I’m surrounded by beautiful peaches, apples, figs even some late berries. I’ve been eating as much as I can of fresh but your photos are making my mouth water for a cool evening and warm tart..

tint

October 7, 2012 2:42pm

I couldn’t wait to try this recipe right away, and so I did it yesterday. It is maybe the best tart I’ve done yet. And so easy to make!
Thank you, David, for everything!

This is in the oven as we speak, though I made a few small changes: subbed the grapes for preserved cherries that I’d put up back in May, added the reduced cherry juice to the creme fraiche filling, and added some vanilla sugar (just a bit!) to the top. I have more filling left over, so I think I’ll just make a quick crumble. Thanks so much for the recipe – work folks are going to be so giddy with their coffee treat tomorrow.

Olivier

October 8, 2012 5:12am

David: so I tried it this week end, I was very excited, and it did not work. I baked it for 90min in an oven at 425, and the fruit didn’t cook. The dough was in good shape, nice and brown, I did add aluminium foil after 60min so it doesn’t burn. The filling was bubbling after about 45min, and I kept checking for doneness. I had to stop the baking after 90min, the dough was getting too cooked. But the apple were still pretty raw. It wasn’t horrible, but the fruit didn’t really mesh. I wonder what this could be due to? My oven works pretty well, I’ve been baking a lot from your recipes, and they usually come out flawlessly. Could this be the sour cream? Or the type of apples (organic Jonagold from Hutchins Farm in Boston)? Or too much crust? My dish was a bit smaller (9″), and made of pyrex glass, so not sure if this could be a factor (though I bake all my pies in it with no pb). Would love your opinion.

I can’t say why the fruit didn’t cook – 425ºF is pretty hot, and after 90 minutes, I can’t imagine it not being cooked. Jonagold apples usually bake quite well and as you can see, Kate used a pottery dish, which conducts heat similarly to a glass one. Other commenters did have success with Kate’s recipe so I can’t say what happened in your case.

Thanks for sharing this! I appreciate it, i might convince my wife to make some of these! I own a cooking ebook website myself all about cooking ebooks! Nice to see fellow sites doing so well! keep it up :)

Made this recipe tonight for dessert. It is cooling on the counter right now. Can’t wait to try it…

mary

October 21, 2012 2:02am

Ok, we are eating the tart right now. It is delicious. Made a few changes/substitutions, depending on what was available. The fruit filling was a variety of apples, figs, and blackberries. Did not have creme fraiche so I just used one egg and a little milk (wisked together). I was worried about the dough since I was running out of time, and it did not look pretty, but no matter. It tastes delicious!

Kate R.

October 23, 2012 12:05am

I’m a long-time listener, first-time caller, weighing in because I believe I own that very baking pan (plat a gratin?) A dear family friend gave it to us as a wedding gift this past February. She bought it at Le Fanion in the west village here in NYC: http://www.lefanion.com/Hearty_Pottery.html. Not sure if they ship within the US but I expect so.

I am one of those people who is daunted by pie and tart dough. But I had the baking dish, and my name is Kate too, so I had to try it. Used apples, grapes, and cranberries that a friend brought home from Maine, and it came out great. Thanks for the wonderful blog and beautiful pictures.

Cyndy Witzke

October 23, 2012 2:01pm

Kate, thanks for that link. It looks like the one. Can you tell how deep yours is? They show two sizes on their site but don’t give dimensions. There is a phone # to call to place an order.